Where did summer go? I looked at the calendar, and September is almost over. Time does fly when you’re having fun, and there’s been plenty to enjoy in the gardens at Joslyn Art Museum this season.

Planting is, of course, a common garden activity, but this year we seriously took that to a whole new level. The first planting project was major renovations of the Veach Atrium Garden and the large landscape bed next to 24th Street. Both were freshened up with new perennials, almost all of which are Midwest natives. The Veach Atrium Garden tends to be more on the moist side, so the plant selections there were chosen because they don’t mind—or even prefer—having wet feet. Some of those new perennials include: prairie blazingstar (pictured), ‘Blue Select’ lobelia (a bumblebee favorite, as pictured below), meadow blazingstar, gray-headed coneflower, bluestar, ‘Marshall’s Delight’ bee balm, ‘October Skies’ aster, and swamp milkweed. The bed by 24th Street is sunnier with average levels of moisture, so the palette for that space included: Virginia mountain mint (a new favorite of mine, pictured), ‘Prairie Jewel’ Joy-Pye weed, showy milkweed, bowman’s root, button blazingstar, yellow (paradoxa) coneflower. All of those perennials were selected because they are (or are derived from) Midwest-natives and of value to pollinators and wildlife. The goal for the Veach Atrium Garden is that, once the garden is established, you’ll be able take in the activity of busy butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and other wildlife just on the other side of the glass, while enjoying a delicious lunch compliments of our Café Durham.

The second major project this season is our new rain gardens. Starting this spring, we began construction of a series of four rain gardens in our Parking Garden. A rain garden, put simply, is a bowl-shaped landscape bed that collects water. The primary function of Joslyn’s rain gardens is to capture and hold storm water runoff from the parking lot and hold it so it can infiltrate into the ground instead of going into the sewer. This helps reduce the load from our campus on our municipal sewer system, conserve water, improve water quality, and allows us to add a native wet-mesic (wetland) element to our gardens. Plants in those areas are chosen for their ability to handle temporary flood conditions, but also drought during dry periods. Many are also valuable to pollinators and wildlife. We had great volunteer help from students and staff from Blackburn High School, First National Bank of Omaha, and Hexagon Lincoln. The project is partially funded by a grant from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. Plants for the rain gardens were sourced from Bluebird Nursery, The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, and grown from seed by myself.

The native plant theme is one that is increasingly becoming more visible on Joslyn’s campus as new plants are added and old plants are replaced. The motivation for doing so has several facets. The primary motivator is simply a desire to be good stewards of our environment. Instead of planting something that simply looks good, why not plant something that looks good AND supports wildlife? Why not have both function and fashion? Native plants do precisely that. Populations of native pollinators, like monarch butterflies in particular, have suffered major declines in recent decades, so it makes sense to manage our greenspace in a way that is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also functional and beneficial to our environment.

Evidence of leaf-cutter bees.

This is Joslyn’s second year as a Certified Wildlife Habitat and a Monarch Waystation. Our efforts to care for our campus naturally are frequently rewarded with abundant sightings of birds, bees, bugs, butterflies, and a plethora of other wildlife. One new discovery this summer was finding evidence of leaf-cutter bees (check out the picture on the right), which are a native, solitary bee. They trim out sections of leaves to line their nests in hollow plant stems, cavities in trees, rocks, and walls, and anywhere else they find suitable. When most people think of bees, they think honeybees. However, most of our native bees are actually solitary and live alone instead of in hives or other communities. Many also don’t even have stingers, and only about 6 species even produce honey.

We try to promote good biodiversity in our gardens, but monarch butterflies are one species that gets some extra attention. Although our collection of Nebraska and Iowa-native milkweeds slowly continues to grow (milkweed being the only plant that monarch caterpillars eat), monarch butterflies have remained disturbingly scarce throughout the US this season. I have regularly seen them in our Discovery and Veach Atrium Gardens all summer, but it sounds like that’s very much been the exception. Major spring storms in the US southwest devastated the early migrating monarchs, dramatically driving their numbers down this season.

Seersucker sedge

One specific genus of plants that I’ve been tinkering with a bit over the last year or so is Carex (aka sedge). Sedges are a group of grass-like plants that are quickly gaining popularity because of their durability and versatility. There is literally a sedge out there for any landscape situation, from hot sun to standing water to even the dreaded dry shade. Interestingly, some sedges don’t seem to care where they grow, and thrive in any situation they’re in. With water conservation becoming more of a concern all the time, some smaller sedges are even being utilized as low-maintenance turf grass alternatives. Part of the Veach Atrium Garden renovation involved removing some existing turf grass and replacing it with Pennsylvania sedge, which is a popular turf-alternative choice. Six different sedges were also planted in our new rain gardens, including our very own Nebraska sedge. For you plant nerds, that adds up to a total of 14 species of Carex represented on our campus. Although that may not seem very exciting to most people, it’s just one of a long list of little things that makes Joslyn Art Museum’s Sculpture and Discovery Gardens unique.

Come and check out all the new additions! Many new plants are blooming or will be blooming soon. Late bloomers like Joe-Pye weed, goldenrod, and blazingstar are just gearing up. The seven-son flower in the Discovery Garden will be covered in butterflies in a few weeks. Fall color will be peeking out soon. Although the season will be starting to wind down before we know it, there’s still plenty to enjoy.

For the Robino family, being involved in the community and giving back is just a part of their daily lives. Kyle and Mike Robino (pictured left at the June 3 Sheila Hicks: Material Voices gala) — joined by their daughters, Olivia, 17, and Ava, 10 — are heavily involved with many nonprofits. But there has always been a special interest in art and arts and culture organizations in Omaha. Kyle, the current President of the Joslyn Art Museum Association (JAMA), was an art major in college. Her appreciation for and interest in art began when she was a child, and was fostered by generations of her family.

As a child, Kyle’s mother, Sharon McGill, would bring her and her sister to Joslyn for art classes and other events. She recalls many times spent wandering the galleries while McGill, a dancer, rehearsed with the ballet in the Witherspoon Concert Hall. One of the Robino family’s most treasured photos is of McGill, nearly 50 years ago at Joslyn, standing next to Degas’s Little Dancer, Fourteen Years Old in her pointe shoes and tutu, surrounded by a group of preschool children.

Kyle’s grandmother, Elinor Ashton, was a docent at Joslyn for years. When she passed away, Martin Puryear’s Self (1978) was purchased in her memory and gifted to Joslyn. Kyle and her family always enjoy walking through the contemporary galleries and seeing it on view.

The Robinos like visiting Lauritzen Gardens, The Durham Museum, and Hot Shops Art Center, but there is a special place in their hearts for Joslyn. “I think that Joslyn’s collection is remarkable for a city this size and in this geographical location,” said Kyle. “The Museum has many works of art that have traveled with exhibitions all over the country and world. The Rembrandt is a cherished work with a unique story. There is a piece of pottery in the antiquities collection that has a mate at the Louvre in Paris; Joslyn is the only other museum recognized as having a companion piece. These and so many other stories demonstrate what an amazing treasure Joslyn is for our community.”

Kyle loves volunteering for Joslyn and is able to be at the Museum quite often as an event florist. In 2015, Kyle chaired the Museum’s most successful gala to date celebrating Go West: Art of American Frontier from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. She also played an instrumental role in the most recent and successful gala celebrating Sheila Hicks: Material Voices.

]]>http://www.joslyn.org/blog/joslyn-a-family-treasure/feed/0There’s Growing To Do!http://www.joslyn.org/blog/theres-growing-to-do/
http://www.joslyn.org/blog/theres-growing-to-do/#commentsWed, 27 Jan 2016 18:33:42 +0000adminhttp://www.joslyn.org/blog/?p=1240In the fall, I always welcome some of the reprieve that winter offers. No more mowing. No more weeding. I think I would probably hibernate myself if it were possible.

However, once February rolls around, winter’s romance is usually gone for me. I’m done with snow. I’m tired of ice and slush. It’s time for spring to get here so I can plant and prune and be reunited with all of my long lost green friends out in the gardens.

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL.

Since the ground is still covered with snow, and spring is yet on the distant horizon (52 days away to be exact… but who’s counting?), I suppose I’ll have to just keep biding my time and try to be content preparing for spring’s arrival.

Growing Table

What better way to start preparing for spring than getting plants started indoors? Last year I cobbled together a grow table out of scrap wood and old lights in one of Joslyn Art Museum’s utility tunnels to do just that. After a few small tweaks and upgrades, like over-head misters and better lighting, the table up and running again as a nursery for 2016’s new garden additions.

Last season I took a big step in focusing more on native perennials that support pollinators and other wildlife. I say supporting instead of attracting, because a lot of exotic and non-native plant species can attract things like bees and butterflies, but natives encourage and sustain diversity and a balanced ecosystem, supporting desirable wildlife throughout its entire life cycle.

This year will be another step in the same direction, and most of the new perennials are starting to sprout on the grow table as we speak. I’ll be adding new specimens of a variety of native perennials, many of which being uncommon, rare, or even endangered in their native habitat. A few that I’m especially happy to be introducing are 5 different species of blazing star (Liatris); narrow-leaf, yellow, and pale purple coneflower (Echinacea); and several new species of native milkweed (Asclepias). A few of the new additions are suited specifically to wet areas like the rain garden, but most are prairie plants that tolerate dry soil. I’m planting plenty of the latter in hopes that I can cut down even more on irrigation consumption.

Milkweed? I’m glad you asked! As you may know, last year I started building a living collection comprised of all milkweed species Nebraska and Iowa. That amounts to a total of 21 species. In 2016, Joslyn Art Museum’s Discovery Garden will be home to 19 of the 21 species, along with a couple of other rare, regional natives. Last summer I found myself stuck at 17 species, so I loaded my trusty Honda NT650 motorcycle with a tent and lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and headed out to Ogallala hoping to collect wild seed of the 2 Nebraska-native species that still eluded me (Asclepias lanuginosa and pumila). My pilgrimage yielded 1 of the 2 species (A. pumila) I was hunting for. It also confirmed my suspicions that an 800 mile road trip on a Honda NT650 would be really, really uncomfortable… I didn’t know it was possible for all of my appendages to fall asleep at once.

King Science Students

Last fall Joslyn Art Museum was fortunate to be a recipient of ReTree Nebraska’s “Free Trees for Fall Planting Mini Grant.” That gave us the opportunity to add even more trees to our campus. With a bit of help from some King Science and Technology Magnet school students, I was pleased to plant a plethora of trees, including edibles such as persimmon, pecan, and paw-paw! The grant helped us add to our collection of oaks, selecting scarlet, black, and Hill’s oaks for shade. A group of rocky mountain, Mongolian, liaotung, and dwarf chinkapin oaks (all chosen for their small stature) were also planted behind George Sugarman’s Yellow Ascending in the Discovery Garden, clustered together (next to the 3 paw-paws) to create a small thicket of sorts where children can eventually play. Other new trees included the planting of 2 apple trees by students from Kent Bellows Mentoring Program as part of the Urban Fruit Trail project.

I keep talking about how our campus is healthier and a more balanced ecosystem because of organic products and practices, utilization of native plants, and good biodiversity, but now it’s official! Joslyn Art Museum’s Discovery Garden is now recognized as Certified Wildlife Habitat #195660 through the National Wildlife Federation, AND a Monarch Waystation #12477 through Monarch Watch. That’s exciting news! That’s proof that a landscape can be beautiful, healthy, and functional!

If you couldn’t tell, I’m excited about 2016. I can’t wait to add more plants to the rain garden, see monarch caterpillars munching on the milkweed, and watch the kingbirds catching bugs while I mow. Hopefully all of the snow we’ve gotten this winter will mean that our plants won’t be thirsty when spring does finally roll around. There’s growing to do!

Kyle JohnsonLandscape Maintenance Technician

]]>http://www.joslyn.org/blog/theres-growing-to-do/feed/0Year-End Support in All Formshttp://www.joslyn.org/blog/year-end-support-in-all-forms/
http://www.joslyn.org/blog/year-end-support-in-all-forms/#commentsTue, 24 Nov 2015 20:00:19 +0000adminhttp://www.joslyn.org/blog/?p=1214I recently read an op-ed column in The New York Times (Nov 14, 2015 – Gifts with Meaning) that discussed the many options of using charitable giving as a different twist to regular holiday gift giving. For many people, the idea of giving (time, treasure or talent) becomes even more present the end of the year. Giving a year-end gift to support a specific program or just the overall mission o fa charity is a great way to honor someone you love.

Each year, my family incorporates charitable giving in our holiday plans. We adopt a family through a local health and human services agency to purchase holiday gifts. We always try to pick a family with children the same age as our children if possible. That way my three young daughters get to help pick out the gifts. In addition, we decide together on one thing that we are going to forgo for three to four months to “save” the money to purchase the gifts for our adopt-a-family. This year it was no salon manicures or pedicures for four months. I am hoping that this helps teach my girls that one does need to sacrifice something in order to give. . But that the feeling in return more than makes up for the sacrifice.

What traditions do you have at the year-end? Do you celebrate a holiday that centers on gift giving or does your family carve out special time that isn’t normally there to spend together? Whatever the tradition you hold, I hope this year, it includes Joslyn. Come for a visit, drop a donation in the box at the entrance, or make a more formal year-end gift to the Museum via our website. As a community arts organization, accessible to all, we appreciate the gifts we can offer and all that we are so fortunate to receive.

Hillary Nather-Detisch, Director of Development

]]>http://www.joslyn.org/blog/year-end-support-in-all-forms/feed/0Autumn in the Gardenshttp://www.joslyn.org/blog/autumn-in-the-gardens/
http://www.joslyn.org/blog/autumn-in-the-gardens/#commentsFri, 06 Nov 2015 15:55:21 +0000adminhttp://www.joslyn.org/blog/?p=1175Although it doesn’t feel like November, one glance at Joslyn Art Museum’s gardens leaves no question that fall is most definitely here.

At this point in time I could wander off into the biology of deciduous trees, why they shed their leaves, and what happens to the chlorophyll and starches in the leaves that makes them change colors…

I could do that. I could also ramble about over-used trees, biodiversity, and the value of native plants…

Or, I could just let the pictures speak for themselves, and we can savor a quiet look at the beauty of autumn as seen at 2200 Dodge Street.

Enjoy.

Kyle Johnson, Landscape Maintenance Technician

]]>http://www.joslyn.org/blog/autumn-in-the-gardens/feed/0Involve Me: Service Learning @ Joslynhttp://www.joslyn.org/blog/involve-me-service-learning-joslyn/
http://www.joslyn.org/blog/involve-me-service-learning-joslyn/#commentsFri, 30 Oct 2015 15:01:43 +0000adminhttp://www.joslyn.org/blog/?p=1113Four years ago I met Julie Dierberger with University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Service Learning Academy (SLA) and Cathy Nelson with Blackburn Alternative High School. Little did I know that this partnership (and subsequent friendship) would lead to Joslyn Art Museum installing a life-size Truffula Tree in the Discovery Garden.

First, what is Service Learning?
Through my position, I get to spend a lot of time with educators discussing Joslyn’s school programs and teacher resources. Invariably, these conversations include our work with service learning projects and our partnership with SLA. And while some have heard of it, I tend to provide an unsolicited explanation of service learning as it can easily be confused with or mistaken for volunteer work or community service.

Service learning is an experiential collaborative method of teaching that combines classroom instruction with meaningful service. It emphasizes critical thinking and personal reflection while encouraging a heightened sense of community, civic engagement, and personal responsibility. These projects are tightly linked to course content while meeting the needs of the community.

I usually give people a moment to let this information sink. Then I follow-up with this Benjamin Franklin quote which, to me, sums up what we are doing…

Tell me and I forget.
Teach me and I remember.
Involve me and I learn.

And with students, I explain, “You are doing my job.”

In the Beginning.
It seems forever ago when Cathy, who Julie said should be my new best friend, approached me about working with her literacy students in the summer 2011. We came up with a plan for them to create a high tech scavenger hunt for museum visitors. She taught me that learning could really happen in non-traditional ways. The Museum became Blackburn High School’s classroom as students created the content. I was a student, too, watching how Cathy weaved learning objectives into something fun for students. The project concluded on celebration day, when students were honored with certificates, and we all played the game they created.

What’s Next?
I was ready for more projects. I was hooked on experiencing and witnessing this type of learning and loved seeing how Joslyn’s own education programming could be a part of this innovative teaching strategy. Seeing students take control and the look on their faces when they accomplished their goals – yeah – I wanted more.

But I wondered how do we do that?

Working closely with Julie and through the SLA’s Seminar, teachers come to me with ideas of how they would like to work with Joslyn. We review the idea to ensure that it is meaningful service, a real project that will tie into their classroom curriculum and serve the Museum – not simply a project that results in a grade. Then Julie identifies a UNO partner to collaborate with and guide the younger students.

Once a project team is assembled, we meet to review how the project will unfold throughout the semester. We establish goals, select times when all students will meet as a group, and determine needs unique to the specific project. We build into the plan a time for celebration and reflection from beginning to end.

We have worked with language arts students, science students, education students, and art history students on high tech scavenger hunts, curriculum writing for Joslyn’s outreach trunks and special exhibition interactive media. Click here to learn about iArt: For Kids, By Kids.

The Truffula Tree
Feeling a bit like a service learning pro, when Cathy approached me about her desire for her students to create a “tree” in the Museum’s outside Discovery Garden to promote the idea of community, without another thought, I said yes right away. An exhibition of original drawings from The Lorax, which Dr. Seuss considered his finest work, was scheduled to be on view at Joslyn at the same time this project would take place. The idea of creating a “life-sized” Truffula Tree for visiting school groups and the general public was born and Blackburn’s art teacher, Hilary George, provided the vision. We connected with Julie to make it an official SLA project.

Cool, right? Scary endeavor, most definitely.

Starting in May 2013, Blackburn students worked with blacksmith Elmo Diaz to create the tree sculpture’s trunk and roots.

Fall semester, third and sixth grade students at Skinner Magnet Center studied trees and created poetry that would become the stripes around the trunk of the tree.

Then more layers were added to the project. Blackburn students, with help from teachers attending Joslyn’s popular Thursdays for Teachers program, created the “leaves” by ironing then cutting Target plastic bags.

Students from UNO’s Peter Kiewit Institute were consulted to consider the safety factors surrounding this special sculpture installation in the garden. What about concrete? And how about planting a tree? As we kept adding more components to the project, I wondered, can we really pull this off? Thankfully Cathy’s reassuring calmness kept me grounded throughout this process.

On a beautiful October day, the entire team came together to install the Truffula Tree.

Students were given the opportunity to dig the hole, learn about and help smooth concrete, tour The Lorax exhibition, and be part of the celebration as the Truffula Tree was erected.

As part of the experience, they planted an American Yellowwood tree in the garden.

It was during this project when I realized the cool thing about service learning is that it can turn anyone into an educator. The landscape technician who shares how to dig a hole, something many of us may take for granted. Or the concrete contractor who talks about the mixture and helps students make it smooth.

The Tree was in the garden for a month. Visitors to The Lorax exhibition experienced this installation after their tour. Once The Lorax closed, the Truffula Tree moved to Skinner, its permanent home.

Why do we do this?
There are many reasons from providing students more impactful learning to building relationships with our area schools, but my favorite is that service learning gives students a “voice” in the Museum. And, when students are given the opportunity to be heard and to make a difference, you better be ready because they will blow you away!

We’re so honored…
This fall the Museum was honored to receive the Mountain Plains Museums Association’s Ed Com Award for Excellence in Programming for our work with service learning projects. Julie and I took a road trip to Wichita, KS to accept the award at MPMA’s conference. Our nomination highlighted the Truffula Tree and The Lord of the Rocks (look for a future blog post on this incredible project). We celebrate this award with every student and teacher who we have had the opportunity to work with on a project.

The Museum relies on the generosity of donors and members to assist in providing educational opportunities for our community. Please visit joslyn.org/support/donate-ways-to-give to learn more about how you can help support our schools, teachers and technology programming.

]]>http://www.joslyn.org/blog/involve-me-service-learning-joslyn/feed/0Contemporary Art Society Dinner with Brad Kahlhamerhttp://www.joslyn.org/blog/contemporary-art-society-dinner-with-brad-kahlhamer/
http://www.joslyn.org/blog/contemporary-art-society-dinner-with-brad-kahlhamer/#commentsWed, 30 Sep 2015 16:34:28 +0000adminhttp://www.joslyn.org/blog/?p=1084The Contemporary Art Society held its annual dinner on Friday, September 25. This year, the event featured a fantastic talk by artist Brad Kahlhamer, whose work will be featured in the Riley CAP Gallery this fall. Kahlhamer discussed how his widely-varied influences, including Native American tribal traditions, music, comic books, and New York’s gritty downtown scene in the 1980s, have shaped his diverse and constantly evolving practice. The artist is currently in residence at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts as he prepares for his forthcoming Joslyn exhibition. Kahlhamer has been delving into the Museum’s permanent collection, particularly its holdings of Native American ledger books, which will serve as a jumping off point for the new work he will show in the Riley CAP Gallery. Don’t miss this exhibition, on view from November 14, 2015 through April 17, 2016.

Sharon Latham, Development and Planned Giving Manager

]]>http://www.joslyn.org/blog/contemporary-art-society-dinner-with-brad-kahlhamer/feed/0Art is sWELLhttp://www.joslyn.org/blog/art-is-swell/
http://www.joslyn.org/blog/art-is-swell/#commentsMon, 31 Aug 2015 20:17:31 +0000adminhttp://www.joslyn.org/blog/?p=1066Did you know that Joslyn visits Nebraska Medicine every month to offer Museum-related activities for pediatric patients? Art is sWELL encourages children who are able to make their way to a common room, to gather along with family members to look at images of artworks from Joslyn’s permanent collections and do a related art project. Participants share in friendly conversation while exploring their own creativity and having artful fun. Supply kits are assembled and delivered to hospital rooms of children who are unable to join the group.

The act of making art helps transcend the hardships of life. All of the children and families that participate in Art is sWELL experience life-threatening medical conditions. I go each month knowing that the art making experience that these children and their care givers have will provide a bright spot in their time at the hospital. However, many times it is the children who have brightened my day. Take Ken for example – Ken came to the art room and I introduced myself and we worked on a mosaic tile design together. Ken had lots of questions and created a beautiful piece of art that he planned to give to his mother. At the end of our time together he looked at me and said, “Thanks Tom Tom!” It is moments like my time with Ken that keep me appreciative of every art experience I have with the children and families at Nebraska Medicine.

Art is sWell is just one of our many programs designed to serve Youth and Families at Joslyn Art Museum. From Art Works, our hands-on multimedia space at the Museum to KickstART Saturday, a program offered six times a year free to the public, that engages families with hands-on activities, performances and demonstrations, there are multiple opportunities for even our youngest visitors to connect with art.

The gardens have been buzzing at Joslyn Art Museum this summer. A healthy environment means life, and that’s what I’ve been seeing a lot of this season, which is exciting. Using primarily organic means to care for our campus the last 3 years has helped create an environment that is healthier and safer for everyone who enjoys it, not only for those that visit, but also for those that call 2200 Dodge Street home.

Our pair of western kingbirds has also returned for the third year. I occasionally hear them chattering in the trees and flying overhead, but as soon as I start mowing they are front-and-center, ready to nab anything takes flight. They have to be sharp, though. Plenty of hungry American robins and barn swallows also want their spot at the bug buffet.

Other noteworthy bird sightings have included a common yellowthroat warbler, spotted hopping around in the Discovery Garden, a peregrine falcon seen eating its kill in one of our large locust trees, and a nesting pair of gray catbirds. The catbirds (a favorite of mine) have made themselves cozy in the Veach Atrium Garden, and found a nice spot in one of the arrowwood viburnum to raise three healthy babies. Gray catbirds are more accustomed to woodland settings, so it’s nice to see them giving Joslyn a good enough review to call it home.

This spring we were fortunate enough to be the recipient of the Omaha Public Power District’s Tree Promotion Program for the second year in a row. I’ve been putting a lot of focus on native plants this season, so this was a great opportunity to add some native trees to our gardens. We planted 12 shadblow serviceberry, 7 ironwood, and 1 boxelder maple. All are native to Nebraska, and were grown by and purchased from Great Plains Nursery in Weston, Nebraska. A chinkapin oak and dwarf chinkapin oak were also added to our gardens, separate from the OPPD grant. Also native trees, those were obtained from the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.

In the future I hope to create a series of rain gardens in our Parking Garden. They would help make Joslyn more efficient and sustainable, as well as adding more native plants and other unique landscape elements to our campus. In the meantime, I’ve renovated a small bed on the north edge of the Discovery Garden, and turned it into a small rain garden. It’s an area that tends to be soggy anyway, so why not fill it with plants that like being soggy? Everyone wins when you put the right plant in the right place.

In addition to native trees, I’ve been hard at work looking for opportunities to incorporate more native perennials into our gardens. Many of which are in the rain garden I previously mentioned. One motivation for that pursuit is to help support native pollinators, which has produced great results so far. The monarda and coneflower in the Discovery garden have been covered with a plethora of pollinators all summer. Bumblebees have been the most prolific bee, but I’ve also seen mason bees, green metallic bees, leaf-cutter bees, and honey bees. Fritallary, red admiral, tiger and black swallowtail, yellow and white sulphur, and monarch butterflies can also been seen in the Discovery Garden, as well as an occasional clear wing hummingbird moth.

It’s great seeing bees and butterflies in the gardens, but diversity is the most important part. The more variety there is, the better balanced an ecosystem is. That’s why I’m always encouraged to see other insects like ladybugs, mantids, lacewings, tiger beetles, ground beetles, and a myriad of others. The more the merrier.

Painted lady butterfly on a zinnia.

A specific part of my native plant efforts has been to create a collection of all milkweeds native to Nebraska and Iowa. This amounts to a total of 22 species. Milkweed is the sole food of monarch butterfly caterpillars, and raising awareness for their declining numbers has been a motivator in starting the collection. Creating the native milkweed collection also gives people an opportunity to see some rare, native plants that they would otherwise probably never see.

This winter I started growing milkweed from seed to start building the collection, and many of the specimens have made it into the Discovery Garden. Unfortunately, hungry bunnies also noticed their presence, so many are small from being nibbled. Monarch caterpillars have also done a number on some of the plants. Sometimes I have to breathe deeply and remember that is what I want them to do. Occasionally I have to play musical milkweeds and move caterpillars around so they don’t totally defoliate some of my more rare specimens… Breathe deeply…

By next season I hope to have a complete collection. The Mead’s milkweed, which is on the brink of being an endangered species, will by far be the most difficult specimen to obtain seed for. Fortunately, I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy. Mead’s milkweed only grows in 34 counties in the whole U.S., and produces very little seed, making it extremely rare to encounter in the wild.

Summer is winding down and leaves will be turning before we know it. Although many of the flowers in our gardens may be passing their peak, there’s still plenty to enjoy, and there’s always more to come. Our gardens are a great place for anyone and everyone to walk, read, play, and rest. Being outdoors is therapeutic. Schedule your next “nature therapy” session with Joslyn Art Museum today.

In light of such attention to docent behavior, the time feels right to reflect on the performance of Joslyn docents (who I have never observed “going wild.”) The glowing reports from teachers and visitors by far exceed the occasional misstep, and considering our docents conducted 1,288 tours for over 14,000 visitors last year, that says a lot.

Joslyn Art Museum holds the utmost admiration for its docent corps. Our gallery teachers are recognized as professional, vital members of the education department who deserve and receive praise for working tirelessly, without a dime, on behalf of the Museum. In the spirit of generosity and community service, our volunteer docents understand that no amount of money can equal the reward that comes with meeting new people and engaging them in meaningful conversations about art. The hard work and commitment they bring to the Museum is without measure, which is why we do best to train and manage this extraordinary group.

Gamerman opens her article with the words, “More arts-loving baby boomers—educated, experienced and recently retired—are hustling to become museum tour guides.” Why? With so many volunteer opportunities available to people eager to share their time and talent with the community, why would anyone want to be a docent? Docenting is hard work.

Training to be a tour guide begins with a rigorous two-year course in art history and pedagogy, followed by continuing education courses with curators and art professionals throughout a docent’s tenure. With over 11,000 works of art in Joslynʼs extraordinary permanent collection, and several special exhibitions rotated through the Museum every year, there is a lot to learn!

Being a docent requires excellent public speaking and group management skills. Docents must engage visitors of all ages and dispositions—from the youngest student to the most seasoned art expert—in easy, thought-provoking conversation. They are expected to afford equal attention to the visitor and the object while keeping everyone a safe distance from of the artworks.

Docents must decipher volumes of information about artists, materials and techniques, stylistic movements, economics, politics, social issues and so on, all related to a single object. Preparing for just one tour can take hours of research and preparation, yet the docent knows that the information gathered may never be shared with the visitor. It is not enough for a gallery teacher to memorize and communicate art historical facts. Today, an effective interpreter must facilitate meaningful connections between people and objects in order to create an interactive experience that pushes far beyond the lecture. Yes, being a docent is an art in itself.

As I write this I listen to the chatter of a group of docents in the adjacent room preparing for their next tour. Three or four of them have gathered to discuss how they will engage their student groups with the artwork. They talk about effective teaching strategies, they carefully plot their traffic patterns through the galleries, they share tips about what works and what doesn’t, or how they might gently guide the rambunctious child through a discussion about the parts of art. They also share pictures of the newest grand baby and lean on one another when times are tough. They may be discussing the Wall Street Journal article posted on their bulletin board, curious that their role is suddenly scrutinized in a public platform. Their giggly conversation is warm, considerate, and punctuated by the occasional rip of laughter. It is the kind of conversation shared between close friends. It is a sound I hear every day…a sound I love…a sound I’m thankful for.

As summer winds down—as we puzzle together our schedule of classes and speakers, as we anticipate another busy school year, and as the docent application deadline of August 28 approaches—candidate interviews begin in earnest. It is a pleasure meeting new applicants eager to serve the Museum and embark on a journey that most of them have been looking forward to for years. I welcome this time to reflect on the role of our gallery teachers, selfless volunteers who enable the Museum to fulfill its mission to interpret, inspire, and bring people and works of art together. Joslyn has good reason to be wild about our docents.